DERBY — Self-assured and driven toward success, Derby High's Josh Russell has thrived in the classroom and on the wrestling mat.

It all comes down to discipline, Russell said, comparing trying to make the weight requirements for each match to tackling the demands of his daily schoolwork.

"You have to buckle down and realize what your priorities are," said Russell. "When it gets easy, you need to push yourself even more."

With a 4.36 grade-point average, Russell is ranked second in a senior class of 93 students and is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.

On the wrestling mat, Russell earned the Class S state championship in March when he pinned Jacob Martin of Windham in 4:40 in the 113-pound weight class final.

For his performance, Russell, 18, has been selected as the Republican-American's top male scholar-athlete for the winter season.

In his four-year wrestling career, Russell has compiled a 104-22 record, including a 32-2 mark as a senior. He went 33-3 as a junior and was the state runner-up at 106 pounds.

"Josh is an unbelievable technician and, pound for pound, he was probably the strongest kid on the wrestling and football teams," said Derby wrestling coach Walter "Buster" Jadach. "He has a lot of determination. He has a lot of quickness and a lot of heart, and always has a plan on what to do."

After losing in the 2013 state final at 106, Russell was motivated to reverse the outcome in 2014.

"It hurt a lot," said Russell of the loss. "I remember sitting on the bleachers afterward thinking of what I could have done to get better and reach my goals. It was my first final, and I was real nervous. The nerves got the better of me. I got motivated to get better every day."

This time around, Russell went into the match confident and relaxed.

"After the last match, I remember the crowd storming the mat and surrounding me," he said. "It was a good time. Winning beat all of those sacrifices. Dave Stec, our assistant coach, said all of that running I did will pay off in that one moment and he was right."

Russell is coaching a youth wrestling program this spring to give back to the sport.

"Josh is a great teacher," said Jadach. "The kids really pay attention to him."

In the fall, he'll enter the pharmacy program at the University of Connecticut.

"Josh is probably the most mild-mannered and driven student that I know," Derby guidance counselor Jennifer Dunnuck wrote in a college recommendation letter. "He has a quiet strength that belies the volcano of potential within him ... We will miss Josh when he leaves, but dance in anticipation of the successes that we all are certain that he will have."

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